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Description
This is a tale that takes place in the land of Albarath on the world-plane of Kalrath. In this land people have developed a rather successful tribal society. Honor is held above all things and no one but a few will dare to break it.
The prominent clans are named after the major animals, mostly large predators. The bear, cougar, eagle, and so on. There are smaller clans named after other smaller animals like raven, badger, and squirrel.  But this is not a story about the clans, even thought it will in time consume them all.
This is a tale about the users of magic in this society. Early in their development they found that some people could control the elements at will. And at various degrees and power. These people were marked by that power with a symbol that would appear anywhere on the users body. It has become known today as the mark of the phoenix. They found that people generally tended to lean one way or another towards theses separate elements and their mark would reflect that with a given color. The elements were called disciplines by the people and the users mages.
The disciplines are mostly based in nature. Earth, Water, Air and Fire of course being the major disciplines with fire being the rarest of the four. There is also Future Sight, Mind, and Spirit. These are even more rare but each was discovered and mastered in it’s own time.  The disciplines were also broken down into various specialties.
Now all mages have a little touch of all the magics but they can only do little things with things outside their discipline. Like any mage could talk mind to mind with some one across the room but a true Mind Master can talk to someone across the country. It all depends on how strong the magics are in the mage and how practiced the mage is.
After a time of trial and error on the part of the mages it was decided to have a schooling system for young mages to enter. This was after several villages were almost destroyed by experimentation. It was a long time before the school of mages reached the efficiency that it enjoys today. But it was a help.
Now we look closely on a small school in the village of Roth as we begin.
“Alec!”
A young man jerked awake at the Masters shout. Alec Shadowz looked dazedly around. All eyes were on him. Oh, no what have I missed now he thought.
“ If you could be so kind as to repeat what I just said to the class?” asked Master Dro.
“Was it something about the Mark mages receive when they come into their power?”
“Yes, it was but you were not listening for about fifteen minutes were you Alec?”
“No, Master.”
“I was saying that after the Mark appears and the mage as had some training in the disciplines he is most adept in the Mark will tell you what kinds of magics he is most likely to use. Some mages who have affinity towards nature spells and would have the ability to change into most animals in their sphere of influence. The creature would always have a feel of wrongness to it unless the mage studied the animal to learn all of it’s habits. The nature mages are split into four different groups water, fire, earth and air. These magics may sound limited to you but for a true adept in these disciplines can find very inventive ways to use their spells and have access to some of the more powerful magics. I think that will be enough for today I hear the noon day bell ringing. Off to home with the lot of you.”
The stream of children out of the small wood and stone school house was small but fast. Alec lagged behind the rest of children. Master Dro noticed this for several weeks. It would always catch the teachers eye if a student did something out of the ordinary like staying after school in the presence of  an authority figure. There must be something going on at home thought Dro.
“Alec come here for a moment”
Alec’s head shot up and he straighten in mid stride to the door. Damn now I have frightened him. I need to calm him down thought Dro.
“ There is something I want to talk to you about.”
Alec cautiously walked up to the massive wooden desk at the front to the classroom where Master Dro sat.
“I want to know when you plan to decided on a discipline and why you don’t go scampering off like the rest of the students?”
“Well sir, the reason I don’t go off with the other students is that I had fight with my father this morning about me taking a discipline. To the reason that I don’t take a discipline is that I feel no strong pull to any of the discipline and my father is very adamant about me to choose so I just don’t know what to do.”
“ Wait you mean to say that none of the discipline have a strong pull for you. None of the spells come easier than the rest. I can’t believe that at all. Not after all the time you spent in my class you have not felt a draw towards one or another.”
“But that’s just it. All of them come easily as the rest of them. Not that the spells come easy sir. I need to explain a little better  maybe. It’s not that I don’t feel a pull towards any of the disciplines it’s that I feel an equal pull towards all of them”
Mater Dro sat at his desk stunned by what he had heard. He knew of some accounts of a few through the ages that there were mages that were adept in all the disciplines called Ta’Kiri  in the old tongue and that it was said they were only born in time of great need. Some thought they were gods being punished for some wrong they committed on the higher plane of existence where they lived and had to atone for that crime. Master Dro, when he was a young man scoffed at these stories and then he came upon such a mage in the woods one day when the mage was preparing to leave this plane. His work long over. His words he sent to Master Dro would stay with him forever.
“Prepare Dro of the Bear Clan. You are the one who will teach. You are the one who will support. You are the one who will protect. Prepare Dro of the Bear Clan or all will suffer.”
It was at that point that Dro decided to achieve a mastership in the basics of all mage craft. He was going to become a teacher in the schools of young mages. Even though he was an adept in the Earth discipline and he leaned more to the plant and animal aspect of that gift. He struggled through learning the basics of the other disciplines because the magics seemed so foreign to him and he would never be able to do more than a few minor spells in those disciplines. But he was finally able to help other mages find their discipline when the time came. Now after all those years of studying and teaching stood the purpose for doing it all.
“Are you all right sir?” asked Alec.
“Yes, I’m fine. You just startled me a bit. Have you told anyone else about this? Your ease with all the disciplines?”
“No, sir. I didn’t want anyone thinking there was anything wrong with me. You know like I was slow.”
“ Good and there is nothing wrong with you. For now let’s just not tell anyone about this. I’ll talk to your father  and set up some extra class time for you to learn more of the disciplines. Later we’ll try to find a few more teachers in the other disciplines when you need them. Now listen closely you could become a very important person if you gain a mastery over all them. People may not want you to have that kind of power and come after you if they know. So we must keep it a secret ok?”
“Yes, sir. I’ll tell no one until you say so.”
“Very  good. Go on home now I bet your father is worried.’
“Thank you sir and good bye.”
Off Alec went running home. Dro would have to proceed carefully. Even though this boy had great potential there is also great risk. He had to remember the last Ta’Kiri had foretold. He had to protect so there  would be others looking for the boy. So he’d best prepare.
Alec was ecstatic. He could not believe this was all happening. He was going to learn more about his passion than ever before. He loved magic it was his life blood and just to study one discipline would have been torture. It was a driving need to learn everything he could about magic. He was so deep in  thought that he didn’t realize how close he was to home until he bumped into the gate set into the stone wall that surrounded his house. He couldn’t wait to tell his father that Master Dro was going to be helping him find his way through magic. Of course he wasn’t going to tell him about learning all of the disciplines. He had made to the front door now and he flung it open.
“ Father, I have  good news..!”
The words dried up when his eyes adjusted to the light inside his home and then he hoped he was dreaming. The scene was that out of his worst nightmares. His fathers body was in the center of it. Alec collapsed where he stood just inside the door. His mind tried to comprehend what had happened. His father was dead. Nothing could survive what looked like a ritual sacrifice. His chest was ripped open and all the major organs were removed and placed around the body. The eyes were torn out as well.
Finally his mind came out of it’s stupor. Someone had killed his father, what was left of his small peaceful family, he was the only one left. Someone had done this vicious thing. Rage started to boil his blood. He could feel the power awaken inside him and fill him to the bursting. It called out to him. Use me, free me it seemed to say and he did.
Fire lanced out from his fingers igniting his fathers body and everything around it. It soon built up to an inferno and he was just getting started this would be his fathers funeral pyre and a message to those who had done this terrible deed.
Dro felt something very powerful. It felt like someone broke the dam holding back the flood waters. Someone was using a large amount of magical energy. He started to run when he realized what direction it was coming from.
He got to Alec’s house and where it should have been was roiling tower of chaos. All of the elements had been called down to this very spot. There was nothing he could do. Fire erupted out the sides just a water came to cool it lighting flashed and the earth trembled and all Dro could do was hope that Alec wasn’t in there. Then it stopped and as the dust settled he saw a figure standing next to a huge stone.  Dro ran towards him once he realized it was Alec. He then saw what was on the stone. Carved there was his fathers name.
“He’s dead. My father is dead and I need to find the people who are responsible” said Alec as he looked up at Dro and Dro understood that there would be no arguing with him because he saw the power flash through Alec’s eyes and knew that no one would stand in his way.

Description
This is a tale that takes place in the land of Albarath on the world-plane of Kalrath. In this land people have developed a rather successful tribal society. Honor is held above all things and no one but a few will dare to break it.
The prominent clans are named after the major animals, mostly large predators. The bear, cougar, eagle, and so on. There are smaller clans named after other smaller animals like raven, badger, and squirrel.  But this is not a story about the clans, even thought it will in time consume them all.
This is a tale about the users of magic in this society. Early in their development they found that some people could control the elements at will. And at various degrees and power. These people were marked by that power with a symbol that would appear anywhere on the users body. It has become known today as the mark of the phoenix. They found that people generally tended to lean one way or another towards theses separate elements and their mark would reflect that with a given color. The elements were called disciplines by the people and the users mages.
The disciplines are mostly based in nature. Earth, Water, Air and Fire of course being the major disciplines with fire being the rarest of the four. There is also Future Sight, Mind, and Spirit. These are even more rare but each was discovered and mastered in it’s own time.  The disciplines were also broken down into various specialties.
Now all mages have a little touch of all the magics but they can only do little things with things outside their discipline. Like any mage could talk mind to mind with some one across the room but a true Mind Master can talk to someone across the country. It all depends on how strong the magics are in the mage and how practiced the mage is.
After a time of trial and error on the part of the mages it was decided to have a schooling system for young mages to enter. This was after several villages were almost destroyed by experimentation. It was a long time before the school of mages reached the efficiency that it enjoys today. But it was a help.
Now we look closely on a small school in the village of Roth as we begin.
“Alec!”
A young man jerked awake at the Masters shout. Alec Shadowz looked dazedly around. All eyes were on him. Oh, no what have I missed now he thought.
“ If you could be so kind as to repeat what I just said to the class?” asked Master Dro.
“Was it something about the Mark mages receive when they come into their power?”
“Yes, it was but you were not listening for about fifteen minutes were you Alec?”
“No, Master.”
“I was saying that after the Mark appears and the mage as had some training in the disciplines he is most adept in the Mark will tell you what kinds of magics he is most likely to use. Some mages who have affinity towards nature spells and would have the ability to change into most animals in their sphere of influence. The creature would always have a feel of wrongness to it unless the mage studied the animal to learn all of it’s habits. The nature mages are split into four different groups water, fire, earth and air. These magics may sound limited to you but for a true adept in these disciplines can find very inventive ways to use their spells and have access to some of the more powerful magics. I think that will be enough for today I hear the noon day bell ringing. Off to home with the lot of you.”
The stream of children out of the small wood and stone school house was small but fast. Alec lagged behind the rest of children. Master Dro noticed this for several weeks. It would always catch the teachers eye if a student did something out of the ordinary like staying after school in the presence of  an authority figure. There must be something going on at home thought Dro.
“Alec come here for a moment”
Alec’s head shot up and he straighten in mid stride to the door. Damn now I have frightened him. I need to calm him down thought Dro.
“ There is something I want to talk to you about.”
Alec cautiously walked up to the massive wooden desk at the front to the classroom where Master Dro sat.
“I want to know when you plan to decided on a discipline and why you don’t go scampering off like the rest of the students?”
“Well sir, the reason I don’t go off with the other students is that I had fight with my father this morning about me taking a discipline. To the reason that I don’t take a discipline is that I feel no strong pull to any of the discipline and my father is very adamant about me to choose so I just don’t know what to do.”
“ Wait you mean to say that none of the discipline have a strong pull for you. None of the spells come easier than the rest. I can’t believe that at all. Not after all the time you spent in my class you have not felt a draw towards one or another.”
“But that’s just it. All of them come easily as the rest of them. Not that the spells come easy sir. I need to explain a little better  maybe. It’s not that I don’t feel a pull towards any of the disciplines it’s that I feel an equal pull towards all of them”
Mater Dro sat at his desk stunned by what he had heard. He knew of some accounts of a few through the ages that there were mages that were adept in all the disciplines called Ta’Kiri  in the old tongue and that it was said they were only born in time of great need. Some thought they were gods being punished for some wrong they committed on the higher plane of existence where they lived and had to atone for that crime. Master Dro, when he was a young man scoffed at these stories and then he came upon such a mage in the woods one day when the mage was preparing to leave this plane. His work long over. His words he sent to Master Dro would stay with him forever.
“Prepare Dro of the Bear Clan. You are the one who will teach. You are the one who will support. You are the one who will protect. Prepare Dro of the Bear Clan or all will suffer.”
It was at that point that Dro decided to achieve a mastership in the basics of all mage craft. He was going to become a teacher in the schools of young mages. Even though he was an adept in the Earth discipline and he leaned more to the plant and animal aspect of that gift. He struggled through learning the basics of the other disciplines because the magics seemed so foreign to him and he would never be able to do more than a few minor spells in those disciplines. But he was finally able to help other mages find their discipline when the time came. Now after all those years of studying and teaching stood the purpose for doing it all.
“Are you all right sir?” asked Alec.
“Yes, I’m fine. You just startled me a bit. Have you told anyone else about this? Your ease with all the disciplines?”
“No, sir. I didn’t want anyone thinking there was anything wrong with me. You know like I was slow.”
“ Good and there is nothing wrong with you. For now let’s just not tell anyone about this. I’ll talk to your father  and set up some extra class time for you to learn more of the disciplines. Later we’ll try to find a few more teachers in the other disciplines when you need them. Now listen closely you could become a very important person if you gain a mastery over all them. People may not want you to have that kind of power and come after you if they know. So we must keep it a secret ok?”
“Yes, sir. I’ll tell no one until you say so.”
“Very  good. Go on home now I bet your father is worried.’
“Thank you sir and good bye.”
Off Alec went running home. Dro would have to proceed carefully. Even though this boy had great potential there is also great risk. He had to remember the last Ta’Kiri had foretold. He had to protect so there  would be others looking for the boy. So he’d best prepare.
Alec was ecstatic. He could not believe this was all happening. He was going to learn more about his passion than ever before. He loved magic it was his life blood and just to study one discipline would have been torture. It was a driving need to learn everything he could about magic. He was so deep in  thought that he didn’t realize how close he was to home until he bumped into the gate set into the stone wall that surrounded his house. He couldn’t wait to tell his father that Master Dro was going to be helping him find his way through magic. Of course he wasn’t going to tell him about learning all of the disciplines. He had made to the front door now and he flung it open.
“ Father, I have  good news..!”
The words dried up when his eyes adjusted to the light inside his home and then he hoped he was dreaming. The scene was that out of his worst nightmares. His fathers body was in the center of it. Alec collapsed where he stood just inside the door. His mind tried to comprehend what had happened. His father was dead. Nothing could survive what looked like a ritual sacrifice. His chest was ripped open and all the major organs were removed and placed around the body. The eyes were torn out as well.
Finally his mind came out of it’s stupor. Someone had killed his father, what was left of his small peaceful family, he was the only one left. Someone had done this vicious thing. Rage started to boil his blood. He could feel the power awaken inside him and fill him to the bursting. It called out to him. Use me, free me it seemed to say and he did.
Fire lanced out from his fingers igniting his fathers body and everything around it. It soon built up to an inferno and he was just getting started this would be his fathers funeral pyre and a message to those who had done this terrible deed.
Dro felt something very powerful. It felt like someone broke the dam holding back the flood waters. Someone was using a large amount of magical energy. He started to run when he realized what direction it was coming from.
He got to Alec’s house and where it should have been was roiling tower of chaos. All of the elements had been called down to this very spot. There was nothing he could do. Fire erupted out the sides just a water came to cool it lighting flashed and the earth trembled and all Dro could do was hope that Alec wasn’t in there. Then it stopped and as the dust settled he saw a figure standing next to a huge stone.  Dro ran towards him once he realized it was Alec. He then saw what was on the stone. Carved there was his fathers name.
“He’s dead. My father is dead and I need to find the people who are responsible” said Alec as he looked up at Dro and Dro understood that there would be no arguing with him because he saw the power flash through Alec’s eyes and knew that no one would stand in his way.